1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a message indicating unit and its method, and more particularly to a message indicating unit and its method for use in a wrist watch type radio paging receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the spreading use of radio paging receivers, radio paging receivers integrated with wrist watches are proposed. As wrist watch type paging receivers of this kind, paging receivers each having a liquid crystal display screen are described, for instance, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,604 and the Gazette of the Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 1988-68230(JP-U-63-68230). In these paging receivers, the received message is indicated in the liquid crystal display screen for indicating the time data. If the user likes digital wrist watches which indicate the time data in a digital form, there will be no problem. However, if the user likes analog wrist watches which indicate the time data with a long hand and a short hand, he or she would not use such a paging receiver.
An analog watch type radio paging receiver having a message displaying function is described, for example, in the Gazette of the Japanese Utility Model. Laid-open No. 1992-19038(JP-U-4-19038). This paging receiver is positioned elsewhere than the dial plate, for instance on the wrist band. Therefore, if the user is to look at the received message display, he or she will have to incline the wrist watch into a position different from the usual position for looking at the time data. Another radio paging receiver having a liquid crystal display section on the dial plate is described, for example in the Gazette of the Japanese Utility Model No. 1990-35094(JP-U-2-35094). In this paging receiver, the liquid crystal unit is arranged on the back side of a part of the dial plate and configured as message display screen, whose area accordingly cannot be expanded beyond a certain limit. As a result, the message is indicated in very small characters, too small to be readily read or unreadable if one of the watch hands overlaps them. Furthermore, arranging the message display screen in a part of the dial plate, the design of the watch as such may be affected, and accordingly a paging receiver cannot be readily integrated with a wrist watch of a prestige-oriented design.